Each one has faced this haphazard situation when we have to go for a long holiday and our mind blows up thinking about what to pack and how to pack all that’s necessary. Let’s just remind ourselves that we can’t go anywhere without packing up proper! To make things a bit easy let us go through some of those necessary things and tricks that can help you pack better.
1. The suitcase: There are a million types of bags and suitcases available out there in the market. The first step should be to choose a bag from a reputed brand with requirements that you think it must fulfill. For example, you may go for a hard case suitcase bag which is much stronger and longer lasting if you are going for, say, an adventure trip. It can withstand any rough and tough situation that it will encounter. Or you can go for soft shelled air bag style suitcase which can always fit in that extra layer that you want to put! Backpacks are also a great choice nowadays as they easy to carry and very spacious. Knapsacks are another choice when you need to carry small essential things to keep in handy. Brands like American Tourister, Skybags and VIP are recommendable ones.
2. Rolling: It is a proven fact that rolling your clothes not only saves space but also avoids wrinkling of the clothes. Fold your clothes the way it is normally done and then roll them in a one direction. You are guaranteed that the next time you open your bag you will not find any flaw with the ironing of the clothes.
3. Fold it: It’s not necessary to roll all your clothes, put the heaviestclothes which cannot easily be rolled at the bottom of the bag. Place such clothes stacked onto each other, straightened. This will ensure all your clothes take minimum of space.
4. Perfumes inside socks: It is a difficult situation if your suitcase smells of your perfume, which spilled off by slip. To avoid this, you can put you perfume bottles inside your socks! Yes! You read that right, if by chance spillage happens your sock will soak the liquid and it will also smell good. The next time you wear your socks you need not be worried about your smelly feet and all other items in the bag will be protected.
5. Shower Cap over the shoes:Many a times we can’t carry an extra bag for our shoes. When you have some extra but important shoes to keep, cover them up in shower caps and put them in the bag. This avoids the clothes from getting dirty and saves the space that a polythene bag may have taken up if it was used.
6. Inside of the Shoe as Storage Space: Before putting the shoes in the shower caps, you can use them to store some important items, like socks, toiletries, and delicate item like Perfume Bottles, small pouches having your hair-do items (clips, hair bands, ribbons) and what not. Be innovative and find the things which can be stuffed inside a shoe!
7. Use smaller bags for different items: Keep clothes and other things stacked into smaller zip bags. For keeping the undergarments, toiletries, handkerchiefs, scarves, in smaller, intact, netted bags like the Eagle Creek bags in Europe and America offer a unique way of packing every element of your belongings into smaller bags and fit them all in a bigger one. This also keeps dirty items separate. This doesn’t make the bag tacky and keeps all the things intact and easy to find. You never know such bags maybe available in your nearest store too, only you haven’t noticed!
8. Sunglass Case: You can always put the smaller items which are important and also needed in case of emergency in your sunglass cases. These items could be chargers, portable power bank, mint/chewing gum, and also the earphone cords to prevent them from tangling.
9. Keep pairs of earrings together with a button. This is a double purpose trick! You can keep the extra buttons of your shirt or dress safeguarded by your earrings. That way it will always be easy to find a pair of earrings and also store an extra pair of buttons in case you lose a button of your dress while travelling.
10. Buy a Neck pillow: Travelling by road is an outrageously difficult task, especially if you dose off to sleep. It’s better to buy an easy to inflate, easy to carry neck pillow for long road trips. It is comfy and stylish and everyone who doesn’t have it will envy your smartness!
11. Store small quantity of hair products and lotions: Pill bottles and small jars or travel cosmetic kits can be used to store and carry shampoos, conditioners, moisturizer, creams and other similar products. This way you carry not too much but not too less!
12. Plastic wrap over the opening of toiletries: If you are taking some of your toiletries along with you better to put the plastic sheet on the opening and then close the cap over the bottle of the item. This will prevent it from leaking and also make sure that your clothes don’t get damaged.
13. Shirt collars-your belts! A very new technique to keep your shirt collar tidy and intact when you have to go for a short trip for a meeting or a one day trip for a job interview(i.e. when you need your shirt to be perfect), coil your belt inside the collar. It protects the collar and also keeps the belt coiled up neat.
14. Necklaces are tangle-free through straws: To keep the necklaces tangle free pour them through straw and tie them up. You will always find your necklaces free of tangles.
There are always tricks to do things differently that we rarely discover, and when we apply them life gets so much better and journeys so much beautiful.
5. Shower Cap over the shoes:Many a times we can’t carry an extra bag for our shoes. When you have some extra but important shoes to keep, cover them up in shower caps and put them in the bag. This avoids the clothes from getting dirty and saves the space that a polythene bag may have taken up if it was used.
Mellifluous Murmurings 